A/HRC/13/40/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. Following an invitation by the Government, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief carried out a mission to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.1 From 26 to 29 April 2009, the Special Rapporteur visited the cities of Skopje, Tetovo and Prilep pursuant to her mandate to identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present recommendations on ways and means to overcome such obstacles. 2. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that, since October 2004, the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has extended an open invitation to all thematic special procedures. She is grateful for the positive cooperation during her visit in April 2009. During her mission, the Special Rapporteur had the opportunity to speak with several Government officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Minister for Justice, the Deputy Minister for the Interior, the Deputy Minister for Education and Science as well as the Secretary General of the National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Special Rapporteur also met with the Speaker of the Parliament and the Presidents of the Constitutional Court, of the Supreme Court and of the Basic Court Skopje II. She also held talks with the Ombudsman and the Deputy Director of the State Commission for religious communities and groups. 3. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur was able to collect first-hand information and documents on the state of freedom of religion or belief in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur spoke with representatives of various religious or belief communities, including from the Bectash Community, the Evangelical Church, the Hare Krishna community, the Islamic religious community, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Jewish community, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the New Apostolic Church, the Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid, the Roman Catholic Church, the SeventhDay Adventist Church and the United Methodist Church. 4. Additional civil society meetings were held with academics, journalists, human rights defenders and lawyers. In addition, the Special Rapporteur met with a number of representatives of international and regional organizations, including from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 5. The Special Rapporteur thanks all her interlocutors for the information and opinions they shared with her. She sincerely appreciates the excellent logistical support provided before, during and after her visit by the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator, and in particular by the National Human Rights Adviser. 1 4 In Security Council resolution 817 (1993) of 7 April 1993, para. 2, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that the State whose application was contained in document S/25147 be admitted to membership in the United Nations, this State being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations as “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over the name of the State.